Chinese rescuers continue relief work in quake area in Japan

Iwate, Japan, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese international search and rescue team continued their relief work Tuesday in Oofunato, Iwate, which was heavily smashed by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

The Chinese rescuers started their second day of work on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. Bringing along with their equipments, the rescuers went through to some of the ruined areas in Oofunato and conducted door-to-door search, trying their best to look for survivors. A body was found in one of the badly damaged houses less than 30 minutes since the search has begun.

The Chinese team, comprising 15 members, arrived in Oofunato Sunday night, is the first overseas team to join and help out the relief in the city. Rescue teams from America and the U.K. will also be joining the local and Chinese rescuers to carry out relief work in the area, the municipal government said.

The catastrophic earthquake hitting northeast of Japan on March 11 triggered severe tsunami, leading to extensive damage and loss in many areas including Oofunato. According to the local government, as of 10 a.m.(Tokyo time) Tuesday, a total of 206 people were confirmed dead, 191 people missing.